The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations

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Chapter 621: A Good Proposal. But… (2)

The wind stopped, and the birds’ chirping ceased. It was as if the world itself was holding its breath in tension.

Arterion’s eyes glowed ominously. A faint blue light began pulsing within his mouth.

He intended to unleash his breath and obliterate the beings before him in an instant.

Those mere humans would never withstand such an extreme cold breath.

But just before the breath was released, Ghislaine shouted loudly towards the sky.

“Arterion—!”

In that moment, doubt flickered in Arterion’s eyes. He tilted his head down slightly, his energy wavering.

“A human… knows my name?”

He had been trapped for a thousand years. Even if his name lingered in records, there was no way for humans to know he was imprisoned here.

His land was now an abandoned, forgotten frozen wasteland.

That sparked his curiosity. Who on earth was this person that dared call his name?

Ghislaine continued.

“I am the Duke of Penris from the Ruthania Kingdom! I am the one who defeated the resurrected Salvation Society! I know you are searching for an adversary!”

Arterion’s eyes widened. How on earth did he know that!?

But soon a possibility dawned on him—it must be his friend who was assisting the humans.

“Could it be… you met Ereness?”

If that were the case, it wouldn’t be strange for him to know his objectives. Moreover, what Ghislaine added was quite intriguing.

“You defeated the resurrected Salvation Society?”

Indeed, he had heard from Ereness that the humans were fighting the Salvation Society.

But did that mean the war was already over!?

Suddenly, he recalled something Ereness had said long ago.

— There is a remarkably talented ruler among the humans. He prepared and acted as if he anticipated everything.

“Aha, so you are the leader of those humans.”

Arterion wore a subtle smile.

He had heard they were fighting the Salvation Society and temporarily managed to prevent the expansion of the rift. Frankly, he was a little surprised by that.

Even if they couldn’t match up to a thousand years ago, to withstand both the Salvation Society and the rift was truly a remarkable achievement.

Curiosity about this human began to stir within him.

Ghislaine’s shout rang out again.

“I want to talk to you about that! We can help you.”

“You can help me?”

Arterion’s eyes narrowed slightly. Now, this was an interesting human after all.

After a moment’s contemplation, he nodded.

“Very well… You may speak with me.”

Muttering quietly, Arterion began to descend slowly. At the same time, a dazzling light burst forth from his body.

After the blinding light faded to a level where no one could open their eyes, a stunningly handsome man with flowing white hair stood on the ground, causing everyone to gasp at his appearance.

Step by step, Arterion, transformed into human form, approached with a nonchalant stride.

He halted a few steps away from Ghislaine and slowly opened his mouth.

“I am… the sovereign of the eternal blizzard, custodian of wisdom, lord of frost, and the one who maintains the balance of the world. I am the last Dragon Lord Arterion. I will engage in conversation.”

It was a grand self-introduction, but no one felt discomfort. It matched perfectly with Arterion’s arrogant demeanor.

Kaor, who had been standing behind Ghislaine, suddenly came to his senses and blurted out.

“I am the leather king of Ruthania and an ogre slayer, and a cyclops slayer candidate… uh, um!”

Belinda quickly covered Kaor’s mouth and dragged him back.

Arterion chuckled at the sight.

“Ah, I see there’s someone similar to my old friend who just talks too much.”

Ghislaine wore a slightly awkward expression, likely knowing who he referred to.

Looking at Ghislaine, Arterion asked.

“Are you the representative of the humans?”

“For now, yes.”

“Is it true that you have defeated the Salvation Society?”

“There are remnants left, but the main force has vanished. We are currently pursuing the remnants.”

Arterion gazed at Ghislaine with a curious look at his stiff reply.

“Such arrogance for a mere human. However, as your achievements are not insignificant, I will overlook that. Tell me again your reason for approaching me.”

“I heard from Ereness. You are looking for an adversary known as the King of the Salvation Society, right? He is also our enemy.”

“And?”

“There is no need to kill humans while searching for him. We will help you find him.”

Ghislaine said with a chilling gaze. Arterion smiled again at the sight.

Daring to show such disrespectful eyes while knowing who he was.

Arterion surveyed his surroundings.

“Hmmm…”

In the distance, he could see some scattered small fortresses. There were quite a few of them.

They appeared to have been constructed not long ago. He wasn’t sure of their exact purpose, but they seemed to have been built to confront him.

“Are you thinking of fighting me?”

“If necessary.”

“That’s only if the negotiations fail, isn’t it?”

“Correct.”

As the two exchanged words, everyone else gripped their weapons tightly. A heavy tension began to blanket the area.

Piote, who had suggested they attempt dialogue, timidly stepped forward.

“Uh, um… I’m Piote, a priest of Juana. With a common enemy, is there really a need for us to fight amongst ourselves? The Goddess would not want such a futile endeavor either.”

“Fight? The word ‘fight’ only applies between those who qualify. Do you think you qualify to fight me?”

“…”

Such an arrogant statement, yet no one could respond.

After all, he was regarded as a superior being, the strongest existence— a dragon.

Arterion looked at Piote and smirked.

“Even if a goddess were to come and speak, I would not listen. I no longer believe in such useless goddesses, rather I despise them.”

“W-what…?”

Piote was taken aback. He had heard that the dragons were beings created by the goddesses to protect the world.

Yet here was a creature denying its creator, speaking such offensive words.

“How dare you!”

Kaboom!

Parniel tightened her grip on her mace and stepped forward. As a saint, she couldn’t let such words slide.

Her formidable divine power burst forth in all directions.

“Whoa, whoa, hold on.”

Ghislaine reached out to intervene, but Belinda, Gillian, and Kaor blocked her.

Tenant moved a little closer to Ghislaine.

Belinda forced a wry smile.

“Isn’t he just an unbeliever? Since the races are different, his way of thinking might be a bit different too. How about we do the interrogation later?”

Kaor joined in from the side.

“Yeah! Let’s guarantee freedom of religion…”

His comment was quickly swallowed when Parniel shot him a glare.

Parniel gritted her teeth as she lowered her mace. As a saint, she couldn’t leave someone who spoke like that unpunished.

But with everyone trying to calm her down, she had to hold back. She didn’t want unnecessary sacrifices to occur.

Thus, suppressing her boiling anger, she glared at Arterion.

Arterion wore an amused expression and continued speaking.

“By the looks of your energy, you must be a saint? The saints of this era are truly lacking. You can only wield the power of one goddess.”

“Stop spouting nonsense. A saint is appointed by only one goddess.”

“Hmmm, it seems goddesses cannot exert their powers properly.”

“Shut up!”

“However… there seems to be another saint.”

Ignoring the growling Parniel, Arterion turned his gaze back to Piote.

Surprised, Piote responded.

“I’m… not a saint.”

“What do you mean? You may be weaker than that person, but I sense a primal power in you.”

“I’m… male?”

“…”

Arterion was flustered. A male cannot be a saint. Yet he felt a scent akin to a saint emanating from Piote.

It was utterly incomprehensible. How could a Dragon Lord like him misinterpret the energy of a goddess?

Besides, Piote looked more feminine than most women; he was simply a pretty boy.

So, without realizing it, he blurted out a foolish question.

“Why do you look like that?”

“…I don’t know.”

Piote pouted. It wasn’t his fault for looking pretty like a girl, was it?

To be misunderstood even by a dragon was incredibly unfair and outrageous.

Even the previously tense atmosphere among the people burst into laughter. They all covered their mouths, trying to stifle their chuckles.

Arterion, seeing their reactions, burst out laughing.

“Indeed, the human world has changed quite a lot.”

Everyone was clearly tense, yet there was a strange sense of ease. That meant they were ready to fight him if necessary.

Back a thousand years ago, there were very few who could act like this in front of a dragon. Only a hero and his companions would dare.

Feeling pleasantly nostalgic, Arterion waved his hand.

Then, a small table and chairs appeared between Ghislaine and him. Though it was pulled from a pocket dimension, it had the air of simply manifesting in the air.

“Sit. I feel like hearing you out in detail.”

Ghislaine complied and sat down. Arterion gazed at him intently and asked.

“Now, tell me how you can assist me.”

“…”

Ghislaine remained silent for a moment.

It was indeed a dragon’s demeanor. He was exuding tremendous killing intent, pressing heavily upon Ghislaine. Clearly, he was testing him.

He summoned his mana and pushed back against that pressure. Unlike merely leaking mana, he held firm.

“Hmm…”

Arterion murmured in admiration, his eyes now filled with even more curiosity directed towards Ghislaine.

Ghislaine ignored that gaze and explained carefully.

“We too are chasing the remnants of the Salvation Society. If you have a way to find the adversary instead of randomly poking around, using us would be far more efficient. We can send people throughout the continent to search for traces.”

He emphasized that the allied forces could assist Arterion in any way possible.

Arterion listened closely to Ghislaine’s proposal.

It wasn’t a bad suggestion. No, it was even more rational than his own plan.

Searching for an adversary alone would be difficult. If that adversary intentionally hid within the human world, finding him would be nearly impossible.

However, humans are scattered across the continent. By utilizing them, even if the adversary hid, he could find him easily.

Arterion nodded.

“Your proposal is impeccable. I have no reason to refuse.”

That was a sincere remark. Why refuse when there was a chance to achieve his goals more quickly and easily?

Everyone sighed in relief at Arterion’s words. It seemed their conversation had gone more smoothly than expected.

It made them wonder why Ereness had seemed so worried.

Yet Ghislaine remained uneasy.

‘Something feels off.’

Arterion still emanated an overwhelming presence. His arrogant disposition made for a striking image.

Yet… something about him felt disjointed.

‘Especially those eyes.’

In his past life, he had never had the chance to engage in conversation this closely with a humanoid form, so he had never noticed.

In Arterion’s blue eyes, there was a faint hint of red mixed in. It looked as if his blood vessels had burst.

‘This guy… is he really not normal?’

In his previous life, he’d thought of dragons as insane beings bent solely on destruction. That was the obvious assumption.

Hence, the Human Alliance had done everything in its power to eliminate them, deeming dialogue unnecessary.

Even now, there seemed to be a flicker of madness lurking in those blue eyes.

After nodding a few times, Arterion spoke again.

“Then, should I follow your lead? When will we be moving…?”

As Arterion continued speaking, he suddenly halted.

His mind grew foggy once more.

He felt a sensation as if bugs were crawling around. Focusing on that feeling, suddenly various other thoughts began to invade his mind.

‘Wait, why was I intending to head to the Kingdom of Turian?’

‘What was I doing all this time?’

‘Wasn’t there something I needed to do?’

He had intended to search for an adversary. To kill that adversary.

Right now, he felt there was no need for that. The humans had offered to help, hadn’t they?

But… shouldn’t he still go?

With a dazed expression, Arterion mumbled.

“…Yes, the adversary is there.”

“What?”

“I must find the adversary and kill him.”

“Didn’t we say we’d help with that?”

“That’s a good proposal. But…”

Arterion’s words trailed off. He regarded Ghislaine with a flat expression.

A heavy silence enveloped the surroundings.

Slowly, Arterion opened his mouth.

“But you see, I suddenly have a curious question.”

“…”

Slurp!

Suddenly, he grinned grotesquely, stretching his mouth wide up to his earlobes. His blue eyes were now stained red.

In an instant, the area around them filled with a chilling aura that sent shivers down their spines.

“Why should I spare these bug-like humans? It would be easier to just kill them all!”

Simultaneously, Ghislaine drew his sword with lightning speed.

His blade, without a hint of hesitation, headed straight for Arterion’s neck.